Hooksett town ballot has just two contested races

By RYAN O’CONNORUnion Leader Correspondent

Current Hooksett Town Council Chairman James Sullivan, left, is the lone incumbent to be challenged for his seat. Clark Karolian has also filed for the open 3-year at-large position on the board. Adam Jennings, right, is running uncontested for reelection to the council's one-year at-large opening. (Ryan O'Connor Photo)

HOOKSETT — Unlike the Hooksett School District ballot, which had 11 candidates vying for five open school board seats, the town ballot has but two contested races.

Town Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 13, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. at David R. Cawley Middle School.

The filing period to run for elected municipal office ended Friday and current Town Councilors Robert Duhaime, James Levesque and Adam Jennings have each filed to retain their District 2, District 3, and one-year at-large seats, respectively. All three races are uncontested.

The open three-year at-large seat, however, is up for grabs, and incumbent James Sullivan of District 2, the board’s current chairman, is being challenged by Clark Karolian of District 5.

Sullivan, who seeks his second consecutive Town Council term, and fourth overall, was recently re-elected to the Hooksett School Board as well. If reelected, he said he doesn’t expect the two positions to conflict.

“I have a full schedule with (Town) Council, School Board, Historical Society and Lions Club and have committed to giving 100 percent to all my endeavors,” he said. “I did serve on both (Town) Council and School Board previously and was able to perform my duties without any impact on either vital board. I believe the results have been positive and have been accomplished with teamwork.”

Sullivan said he’d like to see the current Town Council maintain its forward momentum.

“I believe we need to continue on the same path we have taken in the last few years, working together, allowing full debate, and instilling full confidence in our board, administration and the services all our great departments provide, and working on finding ways to improve services while being mindful of the tax impact,” he said.

Karolian, a former Hooksett Police Commissioner, was not immediately available for comment.

The other contested opening is for a six-year term as Supervisor of the Checklist. Voters may choose between Bob Ehlers and Bryan Williams for the position.

In addition to the Town Council spots, other uncontested elections include the Budget Committee, where Patrick Gosselin and Steven Peterson have filed for two open three-year terms, and the Cemetery Committee, which has Denise Cascio Bolduc and Sharron Champagne seeking two- and three-year positions, respectively.

Also filing were Don Riley for a two-year term as Town Moderator; Claire Lyons for three years as a Trustee of the Trust Fund; Roger Bergeron for three years on the Sewer Commission; and Linda Kleinschmidt for a three-year term as Library Trustee.